History of GLA

Brief history from the founding of GLA to the present

The history of GLA is introduced focusing on the main events that took place from its foundation in 1969 until the present.

1969
Shinji Takahashi's Spiritual Search and the founding of GLA

On April 8th 1969, the birth of GLA took place at Yaoki building in Asakusa, Tokyo.
With the ardent wish of its supporters that "We want more people to hear what Shinji Takahasi is teaching "GLA began to expand on a large scale from its initiation. ( Yaoki building)

Providing the proof that human beings exist as souls that travel an eternal path, Shinji Takahashi traveled back and forth throughout Japan to stress that we are given chances to live by the Great existence, the Divine being, who is beyond human understanding, and that we are born for the purpose of the Establishment of the Self and World Harmony.

On July 12, 1968, as written in his book Discovery of the Heart, Volume of Actual Proof, Shinji Takahashi was awakened to his other self, for which he had searched from an early age. He developed his own wisdom and reached the dharma that runs through the universe (Divine Truth). He began to preach that the purpose of life is the Establishment of the Self and World Harmony.

Those who gathered around Shinji Takahashi wanted more people to hear his teachings. This wish led to the establishment of GLA on April 8, 1969.

This shows that the origins of the GLA culture of respect for each member’s initiative and will had already existed at its foundation

GLA was founded in Japan when many people were seeking for material affluence in the midst of rapid economic growth.

Through his books and lectures, Shinji Takahashi stressed that “human beings exist as souls that travel an eternal path,” and that “the purpose and mission of life is the Establishment of the Self and building a utopia (World Harmony.) He wanted the souls of many people to awaken, develop the possibilities that were latent within them, and trust each other to create a new world together. With this wish, he traveled back and forth throughout Japan.

1976 The successor in teaching the Divine Truth from Shinji Takahashi to Keiko Takahashi

Shinji Takahashi continued to pursue the Divine Truth together with Keiko Takahashi. Just before he reached the age of 48, he said that it was almost time for him to go back to the world of the soul (the other world) which had been his earlier prophecy.
He said in an urgent manner that the "successor in teaching the Divine Truth will emerge from the young in GLA." Shinji Takahashi desperately searched for his successor and Keiko, who was then a college student, said that she would also do her best in this search.

At this stage it was not revealed to them that it was Keiko who would be his successor in teaching the Divine Truth.
In March, 1976, as written in Keiko Takahashi's book Tenrui（Heavenly Tears）, they experienced an encounter of the soul at the Shirahama workshop in Wakayama prefecture.

At that time Keiko Takahashi revealed the meaning of each encounter and incident in Shinji Takahashi's life from the dimension of the soul. The perspective on life of which Keiko spoke was later crystallized in the Law of Causality of the Soul, the law of cause and effect that connects the soul, mind-heart and reality of human beings. This truth constitutes the core of the Study of the Soul, which is the system of the truth that penetrates human beings and the world.

Shinji Takahashi was convinced that this new perspective revealed by Keiko Takahashi was the key to fulfilling the mission entrusted to GLA: the Establishment of the Self and World Harmony.

With this encounter of the soul, Shinji Takahashi was convinced that it was Keiko who was to be his successor in teaching the Divine Truth, and from then on, entrusted it to her.
At the same time, he told those around him that Keiko would be the only one with whom he would be in contact once he had returned to the world of the soul (the other world.)

He asked people to remember that and told them not to be deceived by others who would preach their own theories using his name.

This is how the founder of GLA, Shinji Takahashi, returned to the world of the soul at the age of 48, on June 25, 1976.

1976 Great Leap toward Manifestation

Keiko Takahashi who is Shinji Takahashi's successor in teaching the Divine Truth, presented the lecture at the "Conference Commemorating the Eighth Anniversary of GLA. Her forceful words aroused deep emotions and made a profound impact on the some 6000 people in attendance. (April 10, 1977, Nichidai Lecture Hall)

After Shinji Takahashi left for the world of the soul, KeikoTakahashi became his successor in teaching the Divine Truth at the age of 19.

On July 10, 1976, Keiko Takahashi made a pledge to God and Shinji Takahashi (in the world of the soul) at the Gratitude and Pledge Ceremony that she would carry on his will to manifest God’s light on this earth and to build a utopia.

In the following year, in 1977, Keiko Takahashi introduced the wisdom and systems that would enable us to truly live every moment of our lives based upon the Divine Truth.
One example is the method called Wisdom which allows us, in solving a problem, to ask deep within ourselves, to clarify our purpose and our wish, and assess reality from that perspective and help us plan specific strategies.

She also set up a project activity system whereby sustaining GLA was not limited to merely volunteer activity, but also provided the opportunity to experience a profound study of the Divine Truth.

Under these conditions, GLA members learned to practice the Divine Truth in their lives, deepening their awareness that they are heading towards the unchanging goal of GLA: building a utopia, which can be expressed as creating a new civilization based upon the Divine Truth, or, as Keiko Takahashi stated as “a nation of freedom in which one can truly live out the glory of God and the dignity of the human soul.”

This also meant that GLA, which, under Shinji Takahashi’s guidance, had deepened the conviction that “all humans are children of God and exist as souls” has advanced to the next stage, under Keiko Takahashi’s guidance, of pursuing “how we can live now as children of God and eternal souls.”

1980–
The Three Theories were taught and the foundation of the study system was built.

"As far as our eyes can see, a dark meadow spreads endlessly. Where have ever blossomed small but beautiful flowers…." with this reading by Ms. Takahashi、the 1980 spring seminar started. The seminar was the start of her guidance on how to examine the darkness in our mind thoroughly (Kiban-ron (Foundation theory.))

While Keiko Takahashi revealed the direction and wish to which we could move ahead, she did not disregard the dark problem that human beings bear but faced it and continued to show us the path whereby we could truly live the present moment as eternal lives.

Keiko Takahashi has continued to ask the question, “Why do human beings lose sight of their original self and become engulfed in Bonno, even though they exist as souls that live through eternal time? How could each person be awakened to his or her origin as a soul and live in each moment with this awareness? ” She wrote about this path and revealed the system of the Divine Truth developed in Kiban-ron (Foundation theory), Jigo-ron ( Theory of Individual Mission), and Kyodo-ron (Theory of Resonant Collaboration ) (Refer to Human Bonds.)

The Foundation theory told of how human beings forgot their nature as souls and became overwhelmed by their karmic destiny.The Theory of Individual Mission revealed the meaning and reason for life, stating that there was a deep meaning underlying becoming engulfed by karmic destiny and that a mission that we must fulfill lies on the other side of this darkness.The Theory of Resonant Collaboration guides the world to harmony by individuals living in response to their mission.

Keiko Takahashi also wrote the books which have become the food of our religious faith such as Seimei-no Yohaku-ni (For the Margins of Life) that describes the ultimate truth about the world and human beings and which serves as a guidepost for living, and the Path of Prayer, which she hoped would accompany and give dialogue to each individual in place of her.

In addition, various opportunities and materials for study were prepared, including books on the Divine Truth such as Views of Human Beings(8 volumes) which restores the true meaning of the Noble Eightfold Path in Buddhism that has existed since ancient times as an actual path for living the Divine Truth.

At the same time, branch offices were set up in the rural regions which became bases of study sessions for members.

1993-2000
With the bond with the Great Existence (God), the next dimension of GLA was opened up in the trust and response between Sensei and her followers

At the end of the lecture, as Keiko Takahashi presented the prayer of the Bodhisattva, members of the audience, one after another, rose to their feet, expressing the intention that "I also wish to become a Bodhisattva." After that, this tide spread to "Zenyu (good friends) gatherings in other regions of Japan. (April 16, 1994, Zenyu Gathering, Kawasaki City Education and Culture Hall.)

After 1993, GLA was led to a new dimension and to an important milestone.

It began on March 3, 1993, with the revelation that it is Keiko Takahashi who lives out the will of the Great Existence (God), and manifests His will.

Keiko Takahashi who receives the will of the Great Existence (God), trusts in the souls of the members and reveals the Divine Truth (Study of the Soul) to them.
When members respond by practicing the Divine Truth, the Great Existence prepares the next dimension according to their deepening of the path, and Keiko Takahashi, who hears God’s will guides us towards the next step.

With the deepening of trust and response of this kind, which has been constantly valued in GLA ever since its foundation, it was the time to move on to the next dimension.

Starting from this point, Keiko Takahashi was urged by the world of the soul to go on a Pilgrimage of the Soul to follow the footsteps of those who had sought for a path and of souls who had had relationships with members.
During that time, a deep healing and regeneration happened to each individual, who could not but feel that God was walking by their side.
Watching what happened to Sensei and those around her, members engraved even more firmly in their hearts god’s existence and awareness as an eternal life, the origin of their faith.

In the following year, 1994, the new dimension of GLA which started on March 3 the year before entered another new phase at the Zenyu Gathering of the 25th anniversary of GLA.
(The Zenyu Gathering is held every year in April to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of GLA.)

At the end of her lecture, Keiko Takahashi offered the prayer of the Bodhisattva so that each member could embody the aspirations of GLA and live devoting their mind-hearts of Taking on another’s suffering as their own and making another’s joy their own and becoming what is called a Bodhisattva, a spiritual seeker and missionary.

At that moment, participants had a heart moving experience, the wish “I want to live in that way” welled up from deep within them and without speaking, everyone at the lecture stood up. This tide spread nationwide.

Keiko Takahashi accepted and cherished this expression of will as each individual’s Declaration to Become a Bodhisattva. In response to that will, she initiated a new study session that was developed from the project activity so that anyone could walk the path of becoming a Bodhisattva. That was the New Project which later became the Global Genesis Project in 2001.

She then introduced the BonnoMap (Soul Compass) which reveals the connection between the mind-heart and reality, and, the wisdom of the Grand Challenge which transforms reality to light by connecting the spiritual world and the phenomenal world through the wisdom of In-En-Kahoh (Inner Cause-Environmental Conditions-Result) (Refer to Keiko Takahashi’s book, Grand Challenge.)

Since its foundation, GLA has aspired to manifest God’s light on this earth through the Establishment of the Self and World Harmony. This has become true one step at a time and each time it is embodied, a deeper transformation is accomplished.

2001–present Towards the Era of Excavating Bodaishin and Living by the Law of Causality of the Soul

At the dawning of the twenty-first century, Takahashi Sensei issued the Genesis Project Declaration in order to create a new era and world. Takahashi Sensei showed us that the "Agenda (principles of action)" of the Genesis Project were Reestablishment of the Bond with the Big Cross, Path toward Human Renaissance, and Path toward World Renaissance.
" Thus, a new dimension of the mission of GLA was unveiled. (January 1, 2001. The Dawning of the New Century Conference, at the Sacred Hall at GLA Head office.)

As these elements accumulated and time passed at the beginning of the twenty-first century, on January 1, 2001, Keiko Takahashi declared that each of our paths from thereon would constitute the Genesis Project that will create a new era and world.
The “Agenda” (principles of action) were Reestablishment of the Bond with the Big Cross, Path toward Human Renaissance, and Path toward World Renaissance.
She further led the mission of GLA to the next dimension. Genesis means the beginning of everything and creation.

As members were guided to the dimension of living their soul’s aspirations in their daily lives, in December2003, the Law of Causality of the Soul, which could be described as the compilation of all the Divine Truth preached up to that moment, was revealed at the Gathering in Gratitude (a gathering at which members looks back at the year, recall the blessings and merits received from the Divine Truth and show gratitude towards the Great Existence.)

In the 2004 Zenyu Gathering, ten years after the Bodhisattva Declaration, the GLA Membership Charter, representing their wishes and creed, was adopted and announced. Each member made a commitment to walk together on the path to becoming a Bodhisattva from a new starting point.

At the present, Keiko Takahashi continues to preach about the mystery of The Law of Causality of the Soul and to guide us toward the path of excavating Bodaishin so that all of us can live out our soul’s aspiration in our daily lives.

When each of us overcomes Bonno and fills our mind-heart with Bodaishin, we can solve the problems that lie around us and create a new reality. This will lead to the revelation of our missions in life that must be carried out.

Through the light that Bodaishin displays, many members have started to walk the path of practicing the Divine Truth and transforming reality.

The year 2009 marked the fortieth anniversary of the founding of GLA.

If each of us to awakens to our inner Bodaishin, this will certainly lay down a path in this era of hardship, bring true happiness and hope, and open up a new era.
GLA hereafter will offer a broader path to a society in which everyone can live out the Bodaishin.

At the end of the lecture, along with Takahashi, everyone who was present read the Twelve Bodaishin (hearts of light) aloud in unison and thus made a pledge to Excavate their inner Bodaishin. This was what is now called the Ten Thousand Members' Declaration to Excavate Bodaishin. (December 3, 2006 Gratitude Gathering at Yokohama Arena)